Millions have woken up to their first day of freedom as lockdown lifts in Western Australia following just one local case of coronavirus yesterday.
The news is a welcome relief for tourism providers as they brace for visitors during what's left of the school holiday period.
Plans were sent into disarray earlier this week after WA Premier Mark McGowan announced the state would lock down for a minimum of four days following a number of community cases.
READ MORE: Perth and Peel to exit lockdown as planned, despite one new COVID-19 case
Since then, case numbers have remained low and testing numbers high, prompting the premier to lift the stay at home orders, although some restrictions, such as mask wearing, will remain in place for the next three days.
After July 6, masks will no longer be mandatory, and after July 12, a further relaxing of restrictions will occur.
The struggling hospitality and tourism sectors have embraced the news, with many still recovering from the effects of Cyclone Seroja.
Owner of the Murchison River Caravan Park in Kalbarri Anthony Allen said that for residents in the region, things have "pretty tough".
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"Kalbarri has been through a lot in the last 12 months, all the operators have been looking forward to a busy school holidays so the relaxed restrictions are great news," he said on Weekend Today.
"Predominantly our bookings for these holidays in particular are basically the Perth market coming on up.
"I'm hoping that the Perth people will decide to get out and have a look in our regions."
Mr Allen said despite the rollercoaster of a year, he's hopeful for the future.
"It's been pretty tough going. We obviously had Cyclone Seroja in April, which devastated a lot of people's homes," he said.
"There was a lot of trauma and displacement there.
"But on flip side is no-one was injured and it was great to see the community come together...and the town has been on the mend ever since, we are looking really good.
"Kalbarri is the jewel of the west. We have coastal gorges where they've done beautiful board walking on the Cliffs. We have a national park and beautiful river, it's a great place to come and visit."
